To investigate the therapeutic effect of Bazhen Lihe Kangxian prescription on rats with liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4),and to explore its mechanism of action against liver fibrosis.
A total of 50 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into blank group,model group,silybin group (43.19 mg/kg),and low-,middle-,and high-dose Bazhen Lihe Kangxian prescription groups (7.96,15.93,and 31.86 g/kg,respectively). Subcutaneous injection of 40% CCl4-olive oil solution (twice a week for 8 consecutive weeks) was performed to establish a model of liver fibrosis. After successful modeling,the rats in the blank group and the model group were given normal saline by gavage,while those in the treatment groups were given the corresponding drug by gavage,once a day for 4 consecutive weeks. HE staining and Masson staining were used to observe liver histopathological changes; an automatic biochemical analyzer was used to measure the serum levels of albumin (Alb),aspartate aminotransferase (AST),and alanine aminotransferase (ALT); ELISA was used to measure the serum levels of hyaluronic acid (HA),collagen Ⅳ (Col-Ⅳ),procollagen Ⅲ N-terminal peptide (PⅢNP),and laminin (LN); Western blotting was used to measure the protein expression levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K),phosphorylated PI3K (p-PI3K),protein kinase B (Akt),phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt),mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR),and phosphorylated mTOR (p-mTOR) in liver tissue; RT-qPCR was used to measure the mRNA expression levels of collagen Ⅰ (Col-Ⅰ) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in liver tissue. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups,and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups.
Compared with the blank group,the model group had disrupted hepatic lobular structure,disordered arrangement of hepatic cell cords,hepatocyte fatty degeneration,severe inflammatory cell infiltration,and deposition of massive blue collagen fibers,as well as significant increases in the levels of AST,ALT,HA,LN,Col‑Ⅳ,and PⅢNP and a significant reduction in the level of Alb (all P<0.01). Compared with the model group,the silybin group and the three Bazhen Lihe Kangxian prescription groups had varying degrees of improvement in inflammatory cell infiltration,hepatocyte fatty degeneration,and collagen deposition in liver tissue,as well as significant reductions in the levels of AST,ALT,HA,LN,Col‑Ⅳ,and PⅢNP and a significant increase in the level of Alb (all P<0.01). Compared with the blank group,the model group had significant increases in the protein expression levels of p‑PI3K/PI3K,p-Akt/Akt,and p‑mTOR/mTOR and the mRNA expression levels of Col-I and α-SMA in liver tissue (all P<0.01); compared with the model group,the silybin group and the high- and middle-dose Bazhen Lihe Kangxian prescription groups had significant reductions in the protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K (all P<0.01),and the silybin group and the three Bazhen Lihe Kangxian prescription groups had significant reductions in the protein expression levels of p-Akt/Akt and p-mTOR/mTOR and the mRNA expression levels of Col-Ⅰ and α-SMA in liver tissue (all P<0.01).
Bazhen Lihe Kangxian prescription can improve CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in rats and alleviate liver injury,possibly by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |